What You Must Know if You Find a Lump in Your Breast

What You Must Know if You Find a Lump in Your Breast

July 25, 2008 | By Health Editor

Finding a lump in your breast may leave you in a cold sweat. But here’s a reassuring fact: It usually isn’t cancer. What could it be? We talked with two breast experts at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute to find out all about breast symptoms and tell you what to do about them. Talk to your doc about any changes in your breasts.
Soft lump
The symptom: A soft, smooth, round lump (like a grape) that moves a little when you press on it and may cause pain when touched; it can be small or large.
Could be: Cysts, or sacs filled with natural fluid.
Caused by: Hormone changes around your period. As many as 30 percent of women between 35 and 50 get them.
What to do: Get an ultrasound to see if the lump is filled with fluid or is solid (and possibly cancerous). Your doctor can insert a needle to drain fluid and relieve pressure if the cyst is painful (although it may come back). Taking the Pill may lower the incidence of cysts.
Fluid
The symptom: Fluid leaking from both nipples.
Could be: Milky discharge.
Caused by: A thyroid or pituitary gland problem, perhaps. Other obvious causes are pregnancy, birth control pills, or nipple stimulation.
What to do: Talk to your doc; if it’s a gland problem, it’s usually treatable with medication.
 
Soft mass
The symptom: A soft, lumpy mass about 1 to 4 inches wide, accompanied by tenderness in one or both breasts before your period.
Could be: Fibrocystic changes.
Caused by: Fluctuations in estrogen and proges­terone, which can thicken breast tissue. The problem affects more than 50 percent of women and often comes and goes until menopause.
What to do: Reduce pain by taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen, or by wearing a supportive bra. Limiting fat and caffeine in your diet may help, too. Talk to your doc if symptoms persist. (Find 5 Ways to Cut Your Breast Cancer Risk.)
Hard mass
The symptom: A hard, solid mass that has irregular or jagged sides, as opposed to smooth edges. It usually won’t move or “give” when you push it.
Could be: Cancerous tumor.
Caused by: Nobody knows for sure. Age and family history are risk factors, and studies show that having two alcoholic drinks per day ups your risks by 10 percent.
What to do: Call your doctor and get a mammogram.
Hard lump
The symptom: A hard, round, clearly defined lump (which could be very small or up to 5 inches wide) that can be moved around under the skin without any pain.
Could be: Fibroadenomas.
Caused by: Changing hormone levels. These benign tumors are not as common as cysts, but they’re not unusual among women in their 20s and 30s.
What to do: Get a mammogram. A biopsy is probably unnecessary, according to the latest research, but check with your doctor. Surgical removal is an option if the tumor is large.
By Jennifer Matlack

Study Examines Link Between Breast Cancer and Diabetes

Study Examines Link Between Breast Cancer and Diabetes

December 14, 2012 | By Health Editor

THURSDAY, Dec. 13 (HealthDay News) — Postmenopausal breast cancer survivors are at increased risk for developing diabetes and should be screened for the disease more closely, a new study suggests.
Researchers analyzed data from 1996 to 2008 from the province of Ontario, Canada, to determine the incidence of diabetes among nearly 25,000 breast cancer survivors aged 55 or older and nearly 125,000 age-matched women without breast cancer.

During a median follow-up of more than five years, nearly 10 percent of all the women in the study developed diabetes. Compared to those who had not had breast cancer, the risk of diabetes among breast cancer survivors was 7 percent higher two years after cancer diagnosis and 21 percent higher 10 years after cancer diagnosis, the investigators found.
The risk of diabetes, however, decreased over time among breast cancer survivors who had undergone chemotherapy. Their risk compared to women without breast cancer was 24 percent higher in the first two years after cancer diagnosis and 8 percent higher 10 years after cancer diagnosis, according to the study, which was published Dec. 12 in the journal Diabetologia.
“It is possible that chemotherapy treatment may bring out diabetes earlier in susceptible women,” study author Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe, of Women’s College Hospital and Women’s College Research Institute in Toronto, said in a journal news release. “Increased weight gain has been noted [after receiving] chemotherapy for breast cancer, which may be a factor in the increased risk of diabetes in women receiving treatment.”
“Estrogen suppression as a result of chemotherapy may also promote diabetes,” Lipscombe added. “However, this may have been less of a factor in this study where most women were already postmenopausal.”
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The study authors suggested that there may be other factors involved for women who received chemotherapy, including glucocorticoid drugs, which are used to treat nausea in patients receiving chemo and are known to cause spikes in blood sugar. In addition, breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy are monitored more closely and thus are more likely to have diabetes detected, they noted.
The researchers said it is unclear why diabetes risk increased over time among breast cancer survivors who did not receive chemotherapy.
“There is, however, evidence of an association between diabetes and cancer, which may be due to risk factors common to both conditions,” Lipscombe said. “One such risk factor is insulin resistance, which predisposes to both diabetes and many types of cancer — initially insulin resistance is associated with high insulin levels and there is evidence that high circulating insulin may increase the risk of cancer.”
“However, diabetes only occurs many years later when insulin levels start to decline,” she said. “Therefore, it is possible that cancer risk occurs much earlier than diabetes in insulin-resistant individuals, when insulin levels are high.”
Overall, the “findings support a need for closer monitoring of diabetes among breast cancer survivors,” Lipscombe concluded.
Although the study found an association between diabetes and breast cancer, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Dark Chocolate for Heart Health – New Evidence of Benefits

Dark Chocolate for Heart Health – New Evidence of Benefits

by Leigh on June 11, 2012

Just 100g of dark chocolate a day could help lower your risk of heart problems.

Dark chocolate is good for the heart, so don’t be surprised if your doctor is soon telling you to eat plain chocolate as a cardioprotective strategy for lowering blood pressure and improving blood lipids. New evidence of dark chocolate’s benefits for a naturally healthy heart come courtesy of a team of researchers in Victoria, Australia. The scientists looked at the use of dark chocolate as a preventive strategy for cardiovascular disease in people with metabolic syndrome and the results add to a growing stack of evidence on the benefits of dark chocolate for heart health.

Dark Chocolate and Polyphenols for Heart Health

Senior author of the study, Christopher M. Reid, noted that the use of dark chocolate for patients with metabolic syndrome could be an effective and cost-effective strategy to reduce cardiovascular complications of the disease in high-risk patients. He and his colleagues, at the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, at Monash University, point out that the chocolate would need to be at least 60-70% cocoa and be enriched with polyphenols in order to exert a cardioprotective effect, so tucking into a giant gooey milk chocolate caramel candy bar is not going to help your heart stay healthy.

Switching to Dark Chocolate for Heart Health

Many people find that the bitterness of dark chocolate is too strong a taste after years of eating fat and sugar-laden candy. Dark chocolate is more satisfying, however, and those who do eat it tend to eat less chocolate overall. Re-training your taste buds to enjoy dark chocolate can then alert you to just how sugary and fatty most candy bars actually are, and you may find other benefits as your tastes change other poor dietary and nutrition habits such as soda consumption.

Cardiovascular Improvements Through Diet

Could dark chocolate help you avoid having to take daily heart disease medications?

Cocoa beans are rich in polyphenols, including flavonoids that have the effect of lowering blood pressure (anti-hypertensive), reducing inflammation, reducing the risk of blood clots, and achieving other beneficial metabolic effects. These measures all contribute to a healthier heart and cardiovascular profile, with the added benefit of being a pleasant treatment option that is easily accessible.

Long-Term Benefits of Dark Chocolate

This new study is particularly interesting as it goes further than previous research into the benefits of dark chocolate for the heart. Earlier studies were short-term only, lasting less than five months or so, meaning that any benefits observed for reductions in LDL cholesterol and elevations of HDL cholesterol could not be determined longer-term. In this study, more than two thousand participants had their data used to monitor the presence of cardiovascular disease and the daily consumption of dark chocolate. The researchers used modelling systems to assess the likely effect of ten years of dark chocolate consumption on patients with metabolic syndrome, placing patients in one of the following categories: “alive without cardiovascular disease,” “alive with cardiovascular disease,” “dead from cardiovascular disease,” “dead from other causes.”

Lives Saved with Dark Chocolate

Data was taken from the Australian Diabetes Obesity and Lifestyles study and the patients included were all relatively young; they had an average age of just under fifty-four years old. Average blood pressure amongst the group was 141.1mmHg, average cholesterol 6.1mmol/L, and mean waist circumference was 100.4cm. Using data modelling, the researchers estimated that, assuming all patients ate dark chocolate daily for a decade, seventy nonfatal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people, as well as fifteen cardiovascular-related deaths per 10,000 people, could be prevented.

Avoiding Heart Attacks Through Diet

Nonfatal cardiovascular events included stroke, and heart attack (myocardial infarction), and the researchers determined that a prevention strategy based on daily consumption of dark chocolate could save $52,500 per years of life saved. This is based on an estimated $42 per year spent on dark chocolate per person, making it cost-effective even if only the majority of patients with metabolic syndrome used the preventative health technique. As this study was based on data modelling the results should be viewed as a likely indicator of trends rather than any kind of proof of principle; extrapolation from short term results is always difficult and contentious.
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How Much Chocolate is Healthy?

The effects of dark chocolate for heart health are not as profound as those of medications specifically tailored towards heart health. However, patients are far more likely to adopt a preventive health strategy based on chocolate consumption than remember to take a handful of pills consistently each day. It could be that in the future dark chocolate is subsidised, with advertising campaigns encouraging people to eat a daily ration of dark chocolate for heart health. How much chocolate should you eat daily for benefits for the heart? The amounts used in this study were up to 100g a day, so consider switching that sugar-laden candy bar to a bar of polyphenol-rich dark chocolate to reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 29% of all deaths and around eighteen million deaths each year. Eating a 100g bar of U>dark chocolate for heart health benefits seems a pretty simple step to take to reduce that number, particularly for women, who now face a higher risk of death from heart disease than men.

How Fish Oil Supports Heart Health

How Fish Oil Supports Heart Health

People at risk for coronary artery disease should get about one gram of fish oil per day.

When it comes to heart health, there is one fat that won’t work against you—fish oil. While most of us need more fish in our diets, heart experts recommend that people at risk for or with coronary artery disease should consume about one gram of fish oil per day. That's the same amount in three ounces of wild salmon (farmed fish may have less heart-healthy fats than wild).

Healthy people should aim for 500 milligrams a day, according to James O’Keefe, MD, a cardiologist with the Mid-America Heart Institute in Bethesda, Md.

Research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and fish oil as well as some plant foods, can decrease the likelihood of cardiovascular disease.

Eating at least one fish meal a week was associated with a 52% reduction of risk for sudden cardiac death, according to a 1998 study of over 20,000 U.S. male physicians. Specifically, it can help prevent arrhythmias, lower triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood), slow down the buildup of plaque in the arteries, and slightly lower blood pressure.

Nutritionists recommend taking a food-based approach to fish oil before turning to capsule supplements, because fish is also a good source of protein and other nutrients.

Joyce Baber, 54, from New Egypt, N.J., is trying to do just that to help lower her high cholesterol, 233 (LDL, 174; HDL, 59) and slightly elevated blood pressure.

“My doctor recommended omega-3,” she says. “My LDL should be 130 or less and my HDL should be closer to 100.” Patients with high cholesterol patients who consumed EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid, daily showed a 19% decrease in non-fatal coronary events, including heart attack, according to a 2007 Japanese study of over 18,000 people.
 

People with a history of cardiovascular disease should eat fatty fish, such as mackerel, trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon, two to three times per week. Those without a history of heart disease are advised to eat fish at least one to two times per week.

Pregnant women should consume two fatty fish meals a week, while avoiding shark, tile fish, king mackerel and swordfish, which may contain some environmental contaminants such as mercury, according to the FDA.

Eat with your mind as well as your mouth, and pay close to attention to how the fish is prepared. Fried fish and fish from fast food restaurants do not offer the same heart health benefits as baked and broiled fish. Tofu and other forms of soybeans, canola, walnuts and flaxseeds, and their oils, are also rich sources of alpha-linolenic acid, which is converted to omega-3 fatty acid in the body. Omega-3-enriched eggs are also available in supermarkets.

Fish versus fish supplements
While the American Heart Association recommends oily fish as the preferred source of omega-3 fatty acids, supplements are a convenient source for people who don't like fish or are unable to consume the advised dosage. Side effects from the supplements are uncommon, but some report a fishy aftertaste, nausea, bloating and belching. (Try storing the supplements in the freezer to minimize the taste.)

Baber admits she has not started taking the fish oil capsules, which her doctor recommended, because she has a hard time swallowing them.

“I am not good at swallowing large pills and I’m looking for ones that are a reasonable size. I also have acid reflux and I know there are possible GI side effects. But I will give this a try because I would like to avoid taking a statin drug, if possible.”

Rene Colwell, 50, of New York City, says "fish burps" turned her off to supplements after her 2006 heart attack, but she tries to take at least half of the four capsules her doctor recommended.

"Research actually supports combination therapy of omega-3 supplements and medication for people at risk for heart disease," says Dr. O’Keefe. Fish oil and statins are a safe and effective way to improve cardiovascular health—more so than the use of statins alone, he says.

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Naturally Healthy Heart

Naturally Healthy Heart

 http://your-health-and-life.blogspot.com/

A Naturally Healthy Heart is often achievable simply through diet and exercise without the need for expensive heart medications, heart surgery, and other drastic measures. Naturally Healthy Heart is a site that aims to provide accessible advice for those looking to keep their heart healthy, improve cardiovascular fitness, and who need a bit of extra assistance when recovering from, or coping with, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular diseases and injuries.

Nutrition for Heart Health

Heart healthy foods can help reduce dangerously high cholesterol levels, help with blood pressure regulation, and keep heart tissue healthy and protected from free-radical damage. Foods can also alleviate inflammation that may be causing heart and circulation difficulties, can help redress any potassium/sodium imbalances, and provide the nutrition needed for repair after heart injury and illness. Find out more about nutrition for heart health.

Exercise for Heart Health

We often forget that the heart is a muscle – it needs exercise to stay strong. A quality fitness regime, including both aerobic and anaerobic exercises, is key to keeping the heart muscle fit and healthy and also in restoring it to health after injury. Cardiac-rehab specialists can help you get your heart strong again following illness as well as providing advice on keeping the heart healthy through exercise. Read on for tips on fitness and exercise for heart health.
Written by a qualified personal trainer, nutritional therapist, and cardiac-rehab specialist, the information you’ll find on this site aims to help you on your journey to a Naturally Healthy Heart!

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea

Remember

• Gonorrhea (GC) is an STD that is spread through oral, anal, and vaginal sex.
• Symptoms in girls include vaginal discharge, burning with urination, pelvic pain, and irregular periods.
• Gonorrhea can be cured with antibiotics; condoms lower your chance of getting GC.

Getting Treatment:

The Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital offers special services in the diagnosis and treatment of gonorrhea.

Make an appointment online

Have you heard of "the clap," or "a dose," or "a drip"? These are all names for gonorrhea. Gonorrhea is a common STD caused by a kidney-shaped bacteria that grows in pairs.

How common is gonorrhea?

There are over 700,000 cases of gonorrhea in the U.S. every year.

Am I at risk?

Anyone having unprotected sex with someone infected with gonorrhea can get gonorrhea.

How is gonorrhea spread?

Gonorrhea is spread through sex—oral, anal, and vaginal. Ejaculation is not needed for the disease to be passed on or caught. Women are much more likely to catch gonorrhea from men than men are from women but both can get it. Gonorrhea can also be passed to the eye by a hand or other body part carrying infected fluids.

What are the symptoms of gonorrhea?

You may not have any symptoms if you have gonorrhea. If you do have symptoms, they can take 1-30 days (average 4-8 days) for symptoms to develop. You can pass the germ on to others whether or not you have symptoms.

Symptoms of gonorrhea in girls include:

• Vaginal discharge
• A burning feeling when urinating
• Pain with intercourse
• Pain in the lower abdomen (pelvic pain)
• Irregular periods

Symptoms of gonorrhea in guys include:

• Milky discharge from the penis
• A burning feeling when urinating
• Pain and swelling in one testicle

Symptoms of gonorrhea in both girls and guys include:

• Fever
• Sore throat (for gonorrhea in the throat)
• Pain, discharge, and bleeding from the anus (for gonorrhea in the anus)
• Redness, itching, or discharges of the eyes (for gonorrhea in the eye)

How is gonorrhea diagnosed?

Your health care provider can diagnose gonorrhea by taking a urine sample or by doing a swab of the affected area (penis, vagina, cervix, anus, throat, eye). It is important to get tested so your health care provider can treat you for the right disease (chlamydia and gonorrhea have very similar symptoms but need different treatment).

Is there a cure for gonorrhea?

Yes. Gonorrhea can be cured with antibiotics prescribed by your health care provider. If you treat gonorrhea early, it is usually cured with a single dose of antibiotics (either injected or taken orally). The earlier gonorrhea is treated, the easier it is to cure. If the infection goes untreated, it can spread and cause pelvic infections which needs a longer course of antibiotics. You may even need to be hospitalized if the infection becomes serious.

Is gonorrhea dangerous?

Gonorrhea can cause serious problems if it goes untreated. It can spread from one area of the reproductive tract to other surrounding parts. Girls who have had a pelvic infection with gonorrhea are more likely to have a pregnancy in the tube (“ectopic pregnancy”) or pelvic pain. There is also a risk of gonorrhea spreading into the bloodstream and causing fever, chills, blisters on the skin, or arthritis of the joints.

How can I prevent spreading gonorrhea?

• If you think you have gonorrhea, you should stop having sex. As long as you have gonorrhea, you can pass it on to someone else. You need to wait until you have finished all treatment and your health care provider says you are cured.
• Make sure you tell all current and past sexual partners that you have gonorrhea, since you could have infected them. You may find this difficult to do, but it is very important to do so that those infected can get treated before more serious health problems occur.
• You need to make sure that your sexual partner gets tested and treated (if infected) at the same time as you, so that you don't re-infect each other.
• Make sure you use a latex (or polyurethane if you are allergic to latex) condom every time you have vaginal, anal, and oral sex.

Read more: http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/gonorrhea.html#ixzz2G2vd9pdd

America's Drunkest Cities

America's Drunkest Cities

Research By: Kathleen Pennepacker

 

Overdose on almost any medicine, and it can go from balm to bomb in an instant. A couple glasses of wine each day? Liquid fix-it for your heart. A bottle before bed? You might end up like the folks in Fresno. Our statistical sobriety checkpoint shows that the inebriated people there have one of the highest death rates from alcoholic liver disease (per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In fact, Fresno was near the top in every measure of dangerous drinking, including the body count caused by booze-fueled car crashes (Fatality Analysis Reporting System), the number of arrests made for driving under the influence (FBI), the number of people who admit to binge drinking in the last month (CDC), and the severity of DUI penalties (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). So remember: Better to take your medicine than let it take you.

1st = Most liver disease; 100th = Least liver damage
1st = Most binge drinking; 100th = Least
1st = Most deaths in DUI-related crashes; 100th = Least
1st = Most DUI arrests; 100th = Least
1st = Least stringent DUI laws; 100th = Most stringent DUI laws

Reno, NV

Overall Ranking: 2nd

Deaths from Liver Disease: 3rd
Deaths in DUI Crashes: 54th
Binge Drinking: 14th
DUI Arrests: 19th
Harsh DUI Laws: 18th

Grade: F

Old Pregnancy Tests

Old Pregnancy Tests? Turns Out, They're In Demand! (P.S. Do You Save Your Pregnancy Tests?)

 by Sarah Jio

 

 

 http://your-health-and-life.blogspot.com/Thirty five years ago, e.p.t. released the first at-home pregnancy test kit. Apparently the kit that debuted in 1977 (a year before I was born!), was far from the sleek little test strips we know and love today. (We've come a long way, baby!) In fact, it included test tubes and other medical supplies and required two hours to give a result. Can you imagine?!
And, guess who is in search of these old-style pregnancy tests? The Smithsonian! The institution is working on a pregnancy test exhibit and is in search of old fashion pregnancy test kits. The FDA is on the case, too. “Everyone wants one,” says FDA historian John Swann. “It’s a collector’s item.”
What aren't collector's items are the stash of used pregnancy tests some women hold onto as keepsakes after they test positive. (A friend of mine has one for each of her three babies taped into their baby memory books.)
What do you think? Is saving used pregnancy tests cute or kind of gross?
P.S. Read and pass on: new warnings about antidepressants during pregnancy. And, eat this, get pregnant? The pregnancy diet that experts say works!

Photo: Thinkstock

 

Living with a Chronic Condition

A Different Normal

Living with a Chronic Condition

Important:

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Monday, April 23, 2012

Relationships and Invisible Illnesses

By Maya Brown-Zimmerman

A few months ago, I wrote a post about the process of getting diagnosed with an “Invisible Illness” and how it can be difficult to get doctors on board. This month, I decided to look at how our illnesses can affect our relationships with those around us.
I was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome as a child, and it was my mother who pushed for my diagnosis. She recognized that my tall, thin stature and inability to master some gross motor skills — like riding a bike — were not typical of children my age. Thus, when I did receive the diagnosis of Marfan syndrome, she and my father took it very seriously (and were sometimes a little too overprotective!).
Growing up, I’ve received mixed reactions to my diagnosis from others around me. Some friends have been intensely supportive: carrying heavy loads for me, slowing their pace if we were taking a walk, and even participating in Marfan awareness events with me. Other times, I’ve been heckled for having too many doctors’ appointments or not participating in activities, as though I was making everything up. My diagnosis strained some relationships, but by and large, it has reached the point where it’s really not a big deal in terms of my family and friends; they don’t question the validity of my symptoms anymore.
I decided to pose the question on Facebook: “For those of you with an invisible illness, how did your family/friends react during the diagnostic process? Did they believe you? Were they supportive? How about now?”
Although I heard from people with a variety of diagnoses, there were common themes within their responses. They include:
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-  Family or friends saying “If you just did _____ then this would go away” and/or “It’s all in your head.”
-  Suspicions or accusations of laziness, hypochondria, and exaggeration in order to get out of work or get attention (even if they accept your diagnosis as valid)
-  People saying/assuming that because you “don’t look sick” you must feel just fine.
Overall, a fair number of people reported that it was difficult for some of their loved ones to understand what was going on with them, especially in cases where a diagnosis was difficult to confirm. Denial was really common among family members and friends, and in some cases that denial has continued for years. A few did share how supportive and proactive their family and friends were, and have continued to be, though they still reported occasional feelings of loneliness and isolation during the diagnostic process.
Also, who else thinks it’s interesting that although no one can see our illnesses on the outside, it is often the diagnosis of such an illness that shows us the truth about our relationships with others oh-so-clearly?
I think that this demonstrates just how important a support network of people who have been in your shoes is, not only during the journey for a diagnosis, but also after. How did your loved ones handle your diagnosis of an invisible illness? If they handled it negatively, how have you coped?
Maya Brown-Zimmerman, MPH, is a patient advocate and volunteer with the National Marfan Foundation as a member of the board of directors and coordinator of the teen program. She also chronicles the ups and downs of parenting two sons with special needs while having a chronic illness herself at Musings of a Marfan Mom and the Sensory Processing Disorders Blogger Network.

Photo: Stockbyte

Are You Fitter Than the Average Guy?

Are You Fitter Than the Average Guy?

by Mattie Schuler November 13, 2012, 07:35 pm EST

Even if your cholesterol levels are in check, you’re not off the hook for heart disease. Sixty percent of the men who died of heart disease in a 17-year study had normal cholesterol levels, but low levels of fitness. A man with a low level of fitness had more than twice the risk of dying from heart disease than a man with a high level of fitness. (Worried about your risk? Here’s your complete heart disease prevention plan.)

But how do you know if you’re fit enough? The Cooper 12-minute Run Test is a reliable measure of your cardiovascular fitness. All you need is a stopwatch and a track.
Here’s how to do it: Head to a local track on a day with little wind. After a warm-up of at least 5 minutes, run as fast and as far as you can during a 12-minute period. At the end of the time, calculate your overall distance using the track, and then take a five-minute cool down. If you have a GPS watch, run as far as you can on a flat route for 12 minutes.

Note how many miles you covered. (If you were running on a track, multiply the number of quarter laps by 0.062 to calculate miles.) Take a look at the chart below to see your fitness level based on your age and distance.

 

What is veganism?

The Lifestyle

What is veganism?

Veganism is a lifestyle that avoids the consumption of animal products–be they foods, clothing or accessories.

What are raw foods?

Raw foods are foods that have not been heated above 115-118 degrees (different raw foodists have different ideas about which temperature is right; I tend to not be too nitpicky about that).

Why should I eat raw and plant based foods?

Ethics

Our animal neighbors are sentient, self-aware, and capable of experiencing both pleasure and pain. They deserve our respect, and they deserve freedom. Animal agriculture is responsible for the death of over 56 billion animals worldwide each year–not counting fish. Even animals raised under the most “humane” circumstances–which is to say, even some of the cows that are grass fed, and chickens that are “free range”–suffer tremendously to become or provide human food.

We all have the power to opt out of a system in which animal life is devalued and exploited by choosing the vegan lifestyle. Vegan diets are healthy, flavorful, and fun; vegan clothing and accessories are increasingly accessible to consumers. With every grocery, restaurant, and clothing purchase you make, you have the power to object to animal cruelty and support a compassionate world view. And you can do it all without sacrificing taste or pleasure!

The Environment

Using crops like wheat, soy, and corn to feed animals on factory farms is grossly inefficient. It takes 16 pounds of grain and soy to produce one pound of beef and 3 pounds to produce 1 pound of chicken or egg. More than 70% of grain and cereal grown domestically is fed to farmed animals, in spite of our own human hunger crises. Various advocates suggest that we can remedy this problem with small farming models, which is true to an extent, but of course that solution doesn’t take into account the issue of animal sentience and suffering.

It takes between 20 and 50 gallons of water to produce a pound of vegetables or fruit; it takes 2,500 gallons to produce a pound of meat and almost 1,000 gallons of water to produce one gallon of milk. An exclusively plant-based diet requires only 300 gallons of water per day, while an average omnivorous diet requires more than 4,000 gallons of water per day. In a world with increasingly limited supplies of clean water, this feels criminally wasteful.

Meanwhile, the UN estimates that approximately 30% of the earth’s entire land mass is devoted to animal agriculture. The cost is enormous: it takes 3.25 acres of land to feed a meat-eating person on a continuing basis, while only a sixth of an acre is needed to feed a plant-based eater.

The UN has also stated that agriculture contributes more greenhouse gases to our atmosphere yearly than do the fossil fuels from cars.

The facts are clear: animal agriculture is economically and environmentally ruinous. But none of us are powerless against the system: we can all choose to protest and remedy the damage of factory farming three times a day: by putting plant-based meals on our plates.

What About Health?

Nutrients

Many foods lose natural vitamin and phytonutrient content in the cooking process: water-soluble vitamins (including B vitamins and vitamin C) are especially susceptible to depletion via heating . There are naturally some nutrients that are enhanced by the cooking process, too: lycopene in tomatoes, a cancer-fighting compound, released by cooking, and so is the phytonutrient content in broccoli. For this reason, I recommend that all people consume both raw AND cooked foods. But the truth of the matter is that most of us could significantly increase the nutrient density in our diets by consuming more raw foods than we do.

Digestive Health

Raw and vegan foods (vegetables, fruits, juices, nuts, seeds, and grains) are rich in fiber, which helps to keep our digestive tracts healthy and strong. Most people also find them easier to digest than animal proteins, which can be very heavy, and milk products, which are irritating to many people’s systems.

Animal vs. Plant Proteins

Few topics in health and nutrition have been more distorted than protein and our body’s need for it. We’ve all been taught that protein is the key to vigor, health, muscle mass, energy, and satiety. This is not without truth: we do need protein in our diets, and it can help many of us to feel satisfied. But we needn’t supplement our diet with high amounts, nor do we need to mix and match foods to get “complete proteins” within each meal. We DO have to get all of our amino acids, but our bodies help us do it: they assemble, store and release amino acids as necessary. So if we get a well rounded sampling of the necessary amino acids over the course of each day and each week and each month, we ensure adequacy.

In addition, there are dangers from eating too much animal protein has been linked to cholesterol and heart disease, and kidney damage.

Top Tips for Women’s Health

Top Tips for Women’s Health

by Gena on March 15, 2010



Hi all!

Happy Monday. Hope the week is off to a good start.

I’m excited for this blog entry! For my final post for women’s week, I want to share with you a roundup of my favorite tips for women’s health. I’ve divided them into three groups (nutritional, sexual, and mind/body/soul). I hope you find them all useful, and some (perhaps) pleasantly surprising!

Five Tips for Dietary Health

1) Alkalize.

Remember high school chem, when you learned about the PH scale? Our bodies also exist in a balance between acidity and alkalinity. High acidity in the body has been linked to fatiguebione loss, and a host of other symptoms that we’d all rather avoid.

What acidifies our bodies? Alcohol, drugs, nicotine, and caffeine are big culprits. We also create lactic acid when we digest meat, dairy, and very high-protein foods. These foods, also known as high-PRAL foods, acidify our blood. The human body doesn’t like to be in an acidic state, and it works overtime to compensate. Our lungs, kidneys, and other organs try to “neutralize” acidity by a process called buffering; this means linking the acid to a “base” mineral. These include sodium, potassium, and calcium. There’s now substantial research to prove that high-PRAL foods (which are typically also high-protein foods) contribute directly to calcium loss and over-taxation of the kidneys. Why? Because our body is trying to neutralize blood acid by leaching calcium from bones and into the bloodstream.

The good news is that alkaline foods immediately help to stabilize and alkalize our bodies. What are alkaline foods? Well, they include vegetables, sprouts, low-sugar fruits, legumes, and certain grains (spelt, quinoa, and millet in particular). In other words, the foods that are a cornerstone of a plant-based diet! Which is all the more reason you should be eating as many veggies as possible. Dig in!

2) Eat for Your Bones

It’s no great secret that women are prone to bone density loss as we age. To prevent this, it’s important to eat as alkaline a diet as possible: again, eating too much animal protein, which is acidic, forces our bodies to deplete calcium reserves as a buffer. Ever wonder why countries with highest osteoperosis rates, ours included, are typically the countries with highest dairy consumption? This is why.

In addition, it’s important to eat calcium rich foods. Wondering about the best plant-based sources? Sesame seeds, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens, blackstrap molasses, kale, and tofu are all stellar. Most non-dairy milks and soy products are also fortified with calcium, as are many commercial vegan cereals.

If you have any reason to believe that you’re not getting adequate calcium from your diet, go ahead and seek out a good vegan supplement with Vitamin D3. Right now, I’m a big fan of Vitamin Code’s Raw Calcium.

3) Pump up the Iron

We ladies, I’m sorry to say, are also rather prone to anemia. It’s very common for young women to be anemic–symptoms include sensitivity to cold, brittle nails, fatigue, thinning hair, headaches, and depression. To prevent this, it’s crucial for us to eat enough iron.

Fortunately, a plant based diet is full of iron-rich foods! Black strap molasses is a terrific source: one tablespoon daily (try stirring it into raw or cooked oats) brings you halfway to your USDA requirement. Other sources include leafy greens – chard, kale, spinach — as well as edamame, lentils, spinach, tofu, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and navy beans. Cooking with a cast iron pan imparts some iron, too.

4) Stop Fearing Fats

Women–especially women with histories of chronic dieting–tend to be pretty fat-phobic. Don’t be, ladies! I’ve written ad infinitum on the benefits of healthy fats, but just to remind you: healthy fats help our nerves, eyes, and immune systems. Our brain is composed of 60% fats, and our hearts are regulated by them. They’re known to help prevent cholesterol, and they’re especially important for fertility and fetal brain development.

The bottom line? Eat up! Be mindful of eating a sufficient amount of Omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in chia seeds, walnut, flax, and pumpkin seeds, and monounsaturated fats, found in almonds, coconut, olives, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and avocados.

5) Ditch the Fad Detoxes


I cannot tell you how frequently I’m asked about “doing a detox.” Should I do a cleanse? Should I do a fast? Should I drink lemonade and lemon juice for sixteen days? Should I eat nothing but green smoothies for a week?

In a word: no. There is no reason for a healthy, average woman to drastically lower her caloric consumption with “cleanses”. In fact, there’s a good chance that whatever cleanse you’re interested in–juices, lemonade, all raw veggies, smoothies only, and the list goes on–will only leave you feeling deprived, strip you of water weight, and lower your metabolism. Even undertaking a radically low-cal diet is likely to lower your metabolism drastically, so that when you do return to normative habits (as you eventually will have to, because you’re human), you’ll be likely to gain weight quickly, and in the form of fat.

If you need to lose a few pounds, or you aren’t feeling your best and want to tune up, simply commit to a few small changes (less processed food, no diet sodas, no sugary desserts) that will help boost energy and let you shed fluff weight. That’s a few, not all: getting healthy doesn’t mean trying to be perfect. It means doing what’s optimal as often as is reasonable. Don’t set yourself up for yo-yo diets that can permanently destroy your metabolic function and digestion: opt instead for small, sustainable changes that will boost health for good.

Five Tips for Sexual Health

1) Be Proactive About Birth Control

Deciding whether or not to go on the pill is deeply personal, and it should be based upon lifestyle, on your dialog with your sexual partner, and on your own comfort level. The pill is a major source of security and freedom for many women, but many others experience negative side effects. Therefore, be proactive: there are proactive ways to prevent pregnancy without BCP (such as copper IUDs), and we have the power to explore them.

2) If You Are on the Pill…

Remember: birth control pills do NOT prevent STDs. Many of my readers grew up in the era of AIDS awareness. That’s terrific, but statistics show that condom use and preventative measures against STDs are dropping among white heterosexuals. HIV rates have dropped marginally, but not nearly enough to justify careless behavior. (No drop, save the eradication of all STDs, would justify carelessness.)

Ladies, if you are taking the pill, remember that it’s no barrier against STDs. Herpes rates are on the rise (some statistics suggest that one in every two single heterosexuals in New York City has the herpes virus), and chlymidia and HPV are as common as ever. If you’re feeling tempted to skip the rubber, or if your partner assumes that your being on the pill is a green light for riding bareback, stop dead in your tracks, and reach for the bedside drawer.

3) Remember Your Pap

Be sure to get a pap smear regularly. I previously thought it was necessary annually, but a few readers have mentioned that the new ones are good for 2-3 years at a time (ask your ob-gyn). These exams scan for any reproductive abnormalities, STDs, and cervical cell changes associated with HPV.

4) Get the HPV Vaccine

People in the raw and vegan communities have mixed feelings about vaccines. I fall on the pro side of the fence, though I do think it is every parent’s right to select which vaccines are administered to their children, and at what age.

Adult women, naturally, can also make up their own minds about the HPV vaccine. But it seems awfully foolhardy to forgo vaccination against a form of cancer (cervical cancer) that is essentially preventable–especially since so few forms are. And we’ll be protecting our future sexual partners in the meantime.

5) Get to Know Your Body

Do I sound like I’m hailing from the pages of Our Bodies, Ourselves? Maybe I do, but even so, this message bears repeating: a conscious sex life is a rewarding sex life. Even in this day and age, young women are afraid to explore their own bodies, and to share what they learn with partners. Don’t be! Get to know your bod: if that means the old self-examination with a mirror at home, go for it. If it means getting cozy with some erotic literature or visuals, go for it. If it means picking up a sex guide, like The Guide to Getting it On (a classic), do it. Do anything that puts you in touch with what you like, and what you don’t; what feels good, and what doesn’t. And when you figure it out, speak up! Your partner will appreciate a knowledgeable and proactive approach, and you’ll be grateful for it when he (or she) responds accordingly.



Five Tips for Mind, Body, and Soul

1) Move

It’s nothing you’ve never heard before, but gentle exercise–I’m talking 35 minutes at least three times weekly–is your friend. No, this doesn’t have to mean marathon training or torture sessions at the gym. It can mean brisk walking, yoga, zumba, pilates, rebounding, or simply dancing around your apartment to the newest Gaga single. Exercise will boost your mood, strengthen your heart, strengthen your bones, and keep energy levels high. What’s not to like?

2) …But Not Because You Like to Eat

One of the most troubling habits I see among clients is the use of exercise as a means of feeling “safe” about food–to burn calories, feel less “lazy,” or ensure they won’t gain weight from eating.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about embracing our appetites. This means embracing the fact that we hunger simply because we must: hunger is part of being alive. Exercise is a beautiful thing, but it should be separate from hunger, and eating is not optional.

So move, ladies. But don’t move because you ate. Move because it makes you feel energetic, happy, or strong–not because you had a piece of cake. The more you do to dissociate fitness from food, the more you’ll be able to appreciate them both.

3) Remember Self Care

We ladies are often caretakers: we care for children, for parents, for each other. But in so doing, we also forget to take time to care for ourselves. No matter how cliched it may sound, it’s true that we cannot love or value for others until we love and value ourselves.

Carve out time for solitary walks, little beauty treatments, reading, music, catching up with friends, and other forms of self-focused activity. Be gentle and indulgent: if this means canceling a commitment once in a while, or saying no to someone, or taking break from work, do. Preserving your own sanity–which such habits help you to do–means more energy and focus when you do re-emerge to care for the people you love.

4) Don’t Feel Responsible for Other People’s Comfort

I’ve spoken before about a woman’s tendency to eat in such a way that pleases other people. Often, this is because we sense that our good food habits make other people feel insecure or ashamed, and we compensate with self-sabotage. Is there anything more backwards than this–treating our bodies poorly to make our friends or family members feel better about themselves? I don’t think so.

The habit extends beyond food: so often, we bite our tongues, soften our opinions, or shy away from conflict because we know that it will make other people more comfortable. Guess what, girls? Other people are responsible for their own happiness, security, and comfort. Be kind and generous to others, certainly, but don’t take blame for other people’s unhappiness unless you caused it through malice or poor behavior. You’ve got your own happiness to worry about: allaying other people’s private and often self-imposed unhappiness is not your job.

5) Embrace Independence

One of the more troubling tendencies I see in young women today is a feeling of discomfort with solitude–both physical (in that they fear having time alone on their hands) and existential (in that they fear a lack of male companionship). It’s normal, of course, to experience loneliness now and then, or to want to find partnership in life. But to fear one’s own company is, I think, a shame. Life is lived in the company of loved ones, but there’s also truth to the dictum that we live and die alone. At the least, the capacity to support oneself financially, to make one’s way through the world independently, and to amuse oneself in quiet moments, is crucial.

Sharing your life with wonderful people is vital. But it’s also vital to enjoy your own company. So the next time you find yourself striving to make yourself more appealing to others, stop for a moment, and think: how can I be more appealing to myself? Take some time to cultivate a sense of personhood that you enjoy and take pride in, and the pleasures of autonomy will follow.

On that note, friends, women’s week draws to a close. Of course, we’re always celebrating women here on Choosing Raw, so don’t let’s stop considering all of these important issues.

And guys, don’t think we haven’t been celebrating you in our hearts all week, too.

Next up: recipe making returns to Choosing Raw! And before I go, some announcements:

Maggie and her friend Kate have launched a new blog to celebrate food and body love. It touches on many of the themes I’ve been exploring this week, and is a worthy venture. Please check it out!

Susan is giving away a dehydrator.

My dear friend Kris Carr is nominated for Treehugger.com’s Best of Green award. Please show her your support!!

March is endometriosis awareness month (speaking of sexual health). Check out Allison’s blog for more!



Have a great night. xo

Chronic muscle ache condition eased through yoga

Chronic muscle ache if Eased-through yoga
A new study found HAS That People Who Suffer the provided bread That causes all the body-through Could Relieve Their symptoms by practicing yoga. The requirement Called FM (Fibromyalgia) is a chaos Which causes tiredness and extensive musculoskeletal bread, Which is Believed to affect millions of adults worldwide.
The Sufferers struggle with aching muscles and medication therapies are only thirty percent in easing the symptoms Effectual of the condition. The research team from Oregon Health & Science University investigated if Sufferers of FM practicing yoga along Showed Treatment With Their normal more improvement Compared to control group of Sufferers.


The research team Carried out a study trail is eighty percent of women Because FM Sufferers are women. In twenty-five trail study female participants take part in Yoga Awareness program while twenty eight received standard Treatment. Pain, fatigue, emotional distress and sleep disturbance Were To Be Addressed tackled by yoga.


Each session of gentle yoga program include stretching postures, breathing and mindfulness meditation technology. Both groups then the Were Evaluated for FM symptoms along with physical tests. The results Showed That Women Who Followed yoga program Showed Far Greater improvement in symptoms and Their moods.


Though yoga has-been practiced for Millennia, Researchers Have Merely newly commenced to show effects of yoga on people Suffering importunate bread. The results of the pilot study offer Promising Preliminary Support for the beneficial effects of yoga in patients with FM, Explained study leader Dr. James Carson.


He added That the Proposed Findings That yoga intercession escorted to move in a year how advantageous Sufferers cope with larger bread Including use of adaptive handling bread Policies like positive reassessment, Reported the study published in the newspaper Pain.

The blood test results of ectopic pregnancy can save the family

The blood test results of ectopic pregnancy can save the family
In a new study, researchers have developed a screening of blood for ectopic pregnancy that could save thousands of infertile women. life threatening condition can be diagnosed in one day thanks to this test, instead of several weeks. Ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fetus implants outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube.
the child can be saved from ectopic pregnancy, but if conditions are diagnosed in time can be bad for the mother. New blood test will allow physicians to intervene early to save the reproductive organs which are often severely damaged condition.




About one in 80 is increased ectopic pregnancy in one of sixty, sixty women over thirty years. number of ectopic pregnancies has tripled over the past two decades. factor that may be delaying fertility patterns in women. If left untreated embryos in the fallopian tube can rupture and halve the possibility of pregnancy.


Currently, a blood test and ultrasound is used to detect errors, but these techniques are not appropriate in the first stage and subsequent pregnancies. However, a blood test may be appropriate in only three weeks of pregnancy. This would allow women and acute surgery to remove dirt and reduce the chances that the damaged fallopian tube.


a blood test checks for the four indicators in the blood that is a sign of ectopic pregnancy, is developed by doctors at the University of Pennsylvania Medical United States. This possibility could be that of a test in early pregnancy could use to identify the ectopic pregnancy, said Dr. Marie Rausch.

If the ectopic pregnancy is diagnosed definitively could have cured immediately, he said, while addressing the American Society for Reproductive Medicine meeting in Denver, Colorado. About forty percent of women with ectopic pregnancy usually can not have children later.


This test is potentially useful for the investigation at the beginning. It would be appealing to determine whether these results are promising, they are borne in large study, said Patrick O'Brien, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Alcohol is more harmful than heroin

Alcohol is more harmful than heroin

A study published in the medical journal The Lancet found that alcohol is more harmful than heroin. The snuff and cocaine are considered equally harmful than ecstasy and LSD are among the least harmful. Member of the group joined the experts scored each product based on the harm, including physical and mental suffering, crime, drug costs for the economy and communities.
It was concluded modeling and amphetamines heroin, crack cocaine and methyl were the drugs most harmful to humans. But alcohol, heroin and crack are the most harmful to others. When the scores of the two types of damage in addition, alcohol appears to be the most harmful drug after heroin and crack.


The divergent results scamper to drug benefit long-standing administrative documentation, but the authors of the periodic report that their system based on expert consensus provides an accurate assessment of damages for policy makers.

Their findings reinforce the work done in the UK and the Netherlands, confirming that the current systems of classification of drugs have a modest relationship to demonstrate prejudice. Also, consistent with the conclusions of expert reports earlier said the orientation effects of alcohol is a valid public health policy and necessary to explain the Professor David Nutt, the former chief drug adviser in the UK.


Alcohol has been ranked three times more harmful to cocaine or snuff in the new scheme more complex. Ecstasy is considered to cause harm eighth of alcohol. It also contradicts the results of the Ministry of Interior to the alleged legal high mephedrone a class B drug, saying that alcohol was five times more harmful.


The list was published to coincide with a symposium on drug policy. What is a conference on drug policy may seem dependent on the set of problems to themselves or others, try to reduce. But if you take a total loss, then alcohol, heroin and cocaine are much more dangerous than all the others, added Professor Nutt.

Leisure time workout can keep depression at bay

Leisure time workout can keep depression at bay
The risk of depression can be halved by physical activity, but only if the sweat accumulates in leisure. The research team at King's College London have found that people who work regularly are much less likely to be depressed.
training services ut were not felt by people who used to work, for example, digging roads. To verify the benefits of working researchers studied more than forty thousand inhabitants of Norway. They were asked about their participation in the play of light and strength in their spare time.


The formation of light is defined as one that will not accompany differ sweating breathless or intense activity. They were also asked about their physical activity during work. All participants underwent a physical examination and expected answers to your questions to assess their levels of depression and anxiety.


The study results showed that individuals who participated in regular training, although moderate or severe, were less likely to have symptoms of depression. However, some exercise done only when it was part of leisure. Busy people in the exercise of their leisure time, were less likely to be depressed.


People who were not aggressive in free time were more than twice as likely to suffer from depressive symptoms than the most energetic, said the study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. Their study showed that people who engage in regular exercise all the intensity of leisure are less likely to have symptoms of depression, said lead researcher Dr. Samuel Harvey.


He said the situation in which training takes place is important and that the social benefits associated with training, such as increasing the number of friends and social support are more critical to understanding how the exercise may be associated with mental health, more than any biological indicators of fitness.

Moderate alcohol consumption may help heart bypass patients

Moderate alcohol consumption may help heart bypass patients

Men who undergo heart bypass operation could deduce that should not drink. But the new study recommends that moderate consumption after major surgery may have beneficial effects. The research team at the University of Rome, found that patients who had bypass two drinks a day after the surgery requires fewer cardiac events compared with abstainers.
Moderate alcohol consumption was associated with the twenty percent reduction in additional heart attacks, strokes and cardiac events. The health benefits of moderate drinking had already been documented in healthy individuals. However, his research showed benefits of moderate alcohol consumption in bypass patients, said study author Dr. Umberto Benedetto, University of Rome La Sapienza.


At the same time, the study also showed that bypass patients who had the habit of excessive drinking as six or more drinks a day were twice as likely to die of heart problems. In a study by Italian researchers used a questionnaire to assess alcohol consumption in more than a thousand men who underwent coronary bypass surgery.


The clinical history of patients was reviewed by more than three years. There was no association between unfavorable moderate alcohol consumption and intake of any drug taking, said the study presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Chicago.


It is recommended by the American Heart Association that men are limited to two drinks per day and women should be limited to one drink per day. They believe that excessive consumption of alcohol can increase blood pressure and may have other adverse effects in the body.

New cervical test could save thousands of lives of women

New cervical test could save thousands of lives of women
Dramatic improvements in test procedure for uterine cervical cancer could save the lives of thousands of women. This test gives results a day and is much more accurate than the test currently used to mark the first signs of the disease, researchers reveled in a new study.
The other advantage of the new test is that patients may need to be released after five years rather than every three years. Researchers believe that cytology provides a third of all cases of cervical cancer.


But unlike the spot checks for abnormal cells, the newer test called the Cobas test is able to identify the human papillomavirus that causes unusual cell growth. Therefore, the researchers believe it may pick up the cancer earlier and more consistent. Women would be able to obtain results the following day.


Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in young women and there are thousands of new cases each year. But often diagnosed late because survival rates are much lower than other types of cancer. Since the 1980 all women over twenty-five is recommended to have a cervical smear every five years.


The new Cobas which is developed by Roche drug is similar to a Pap test. This test analyzes a small sample of cells from the cervix of a woman. Then, some researchers Cobas machine for some HPV strains known to cause cervical cancer.


These women have found that the virus would be referred to the following test to determine whether tumors had developed. In a trail conducted in more than forty-seven thousand women over thirty years of age by U.S. and British researchers, found the HPV virus collected in the ten patients who had given the green light after a test .


Up to one third of women diagnosed with cervical cancer smears were normal. They believe that this new test could detect cancer in the vast majority of women, said Dr. Thomas Wright, of Columbia University in New York.

Combination of drugs against the survival rate for breast cancer study Elevators

Combination of drugs against the survival rate for breast cancer study Elevators

The Seattle Times reports that this is the first time such a drastic improvement observed in the trials of hormonal therapy frontline in the fight against breast cancer metastasis. Dr. Julie Gralow, director of the Division of Breast Medical Oncology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and co-author of the study, said:


"We find many other ways to treat these breast cancers with estrogen receptor positive, which does not include chemotherapy."


The two drugs, anastrozole (Arimidex brand) and fulvestrant (Faslodex brand), are called endocrine therapy, because they work through the action of a hormone (estrogen). Gralow said that about three-quarters of women with breast cancer and metastatic breast cancer whose tumors respond to estrogen. Both drugs are effective as anastrozole stops estrogen synthesis and the works of fulvestrant on estrogen receptors.


Gralow said that although these treatments do not cure breast cancer, however, are of great progress in the field of endocrine therapies and drugs for breast cancer. She said:

"We're trying to move away from toxic therapies, non-specific, such as chemotherapy, and better understand how they can affect estrogen receptors and their means and get even better results than chemotherapy with fewer side effects secondary. This is where we will treat breast cancer. "


RTT reports that Dr. Kathy Albain, principal investigator of the study, his team studied 707 postmenopausal women with breast cancer in hormone receptor positive. Metastatic They found that, on average, women who received both drugs against breast cancer lived 6.4 months longer than those who received one. Albain said:


"This is the first study to show that hormone therapy alone, without chemotherapy improves survival in advanced breast cancer. This will most likely change the standard of care for the way we treat these patients. "

Power of intimacy can boost your Marriage

Power of intimacy can boost your Marriage

sex a lot of attention. Proliferates in our minds through various forms of media and advertising on a daily basis. Finding a balance between acquiring a good knowledge of sex or having to swim through a black hole of dirt can be difficult to navigate, even for experienced captains.


Most of the articles and advertisements focus on mechanics, techniques and products to enhance sexual experience. Although there is a need for this knowledge, most often, the information is presented to sell sex rather than promoting sex as a way to encourage the special intimacy of a couple.


In a marriage relationship, some couples experience changes in their sexual experiences that can increase stress, doubt and confusion of their marriage. This may be true even for couples who were married for several years, even decades. Intimacy and sex are not necessarily the same thing. However, various forms of media to create the illusion that the only way for two people experience intimacy in sex is passionate, full of steam. This can be a challenge for one spouse has difficulty in their sexual experiences with your spouse. The emphasis on performance between the sheets in place of intimacy between the couple still exasperates the problems of couples experiencing sexual incompatibility in marriage.


Sex in movies, music, romance novels, magazines, audio, and the websites makes sex appear more as an aperitif, to fulfill before they are able to enjoy the main course and dessert. In other words, focuses on long-term benefits of an intimate and sexual with your partner is much more satisfactory than an aperitif sexual saturation of media that can provide short-term benefits to a relationship privacy of hunger. Focus on intimacy in marriage includes sexual experience physical, but not to the exclusion of privacy itself. A husband who can focus on intimacy with his wife nutrients can strengthen a marriage in trouble, or fall apart.

What men need to understand about privacy
Your husband wants sex as much to do. However, women connect to engage in a sexual experience different from that of men. Many men can lose sight of this or are not even aware of this difference. For sexual intercourse in marriage to thrive, people need to stimulate their interest and ability to nurture intimacy. The sexual experience of your partner is intensified by their attention to things that are important to her. Capacity building at any point in your marriage to be: friendly, attentive to their wants and needs within and outside the bedroom, a good listener, curious about their interests, a partner to share their challenges, adding more excitement and energy to your life. This seems logical, but again, that because men tend to neglect the little things that matter most to our spouse. It does not really get what you want to give it as much as what she needs you, and that is simply more attention to things that matter.


Mentally and physically participate in their wants and needs a bit like the analogy of the snack. When the men load their wives with unnecessary stress much like filling your plate with too much of a snack. There is little space or no desire on the plate of emotion for a meal in total. His appetite emotional, already saturated with the appetizer, not satisfied with a well balanced meal. When a woman feels saturated with inattention or lack of respect and concern for her husband, then the feeling of fullness or satisfaction is not likely to be encountered in the room. Your wife needs to know and feel that you are ready to meet their needs in all places and at any time. Husbands can not fake. They know! Take longer to feed her with praise sincere, less attention on yourself and more time on it. Women need sex to begin well before the physical act itself. Enjoy your wife, it is as a person. Admire their strengths and talents. Expressing love in many ways: touches of affection throughout the day, night or weekend, depending on their working hours, a small gift of appreciation from time to time, time quality head to head every week if possible, always doing something for her that makes your load a little easier, and ultimately do a better job of actively listening to her. These acts of love to enhance the intimate connection between the two. A man who sincerely implements these acts of love in his relationship with his wife to improve the romance of shared intimacy.

Men prefer brains over beauty in women

Men prefer brains over beauty in women

Half of men surveyed said they were more attracted to girls nerds with a sense of humor and a sophisticated fashion sense.

For 31 percent of his ideal woman would be interested in music, films by 28 percent and 32 percent should be enjoying the travel and tourism.
In addition, the woman of your dreams should be fun, sensitive and caring, yet raised, the researchers found.

Similarly, just 50 percent of girls admitted it was an intelligent man more attractive.

82 percent of men said they would choose personality apparently.

While only 14 percent found a sporty type of girl to be the most attractive.

Only one in 20 admitted to being attracted revelers strong personalities, making it the least attractive "type" of girl.

"The results suggest that gender roles are changing and men want a woman are more in line with what women tend to look for in a man", an important newspaper quoted psychologist Dr David Lewis in the newspaper .

"Although initially attracted to someone through physical characteristics, is now more important to people than their partners are partners rather than trophies.

"The recent economic crisis could also play a role in this evolution, we have become less materialistic as a nation before the recession, and now looking for partners who can provide us with satisfaction and security," he said .

The survey results seem to have confirmed the long-held conviction that men have preferences for different personality types.


The Top 5 Most Attractive personality traits for a woman to have:
1. Funny (21 percent)
2. Thoughtful (20 percent)
3. Sociable (14 percent)
4. Confident (10 percent)
5. Romantic (9 percent)

Girl types in order of preference:
1. Brainy (50 percent)
2. Flirtatious (25 percent)
3. Sporty (14 percent)
4. High Maintenance (6 percent)
5. Party Animal (5 percent)

Symptoms of Depression The diagnosis of depression

Almost everyone knows the symptoms of depression from time to time. While the depressed mood, sad or melancholy is often referred to as depression, not always put a serious health threat.
However, depression can become a serious health problem if it lasts a long time.
Signs and symptoms of depression is quite common and distressing symptoms persisted only for a very long expressed disorders that require psychiatric and medical treatment.



Symptoms of depression
People with depression may show more of the following signs and symptoms of depression.
A sad mood
Despair
Concern
Irritability
Loss of interest in daily activities and work
Loss of interest in social activities
Low self-esteem
Fatigue
Languor
Irregular sleep patterns
Abnormal change in appetite
Difficulty concentrating
Become socially isolated
Feelings of worthlessness and self-hatred
Fault
Suicidal thoughts
Although symptoms of depression may be the same, its duration and severity
The diagnosis of depression
The diagnosis is an important step in terms of depression, because there is a tendency to self-diagnosis in people who consider themselves as suffering from depression. Psychiatrists and doctors diagnose depression based on a series of parameters such as symptoms and family and personal history. Tests such as the mental status examination is used for diagnosis as well.
Depression can be severe in the following two conditions.
Clinical depression or major depressive disorder: This condition includes symptoms lasting several days or weeks.
Dysthymia or neurotic depression: This condition involves symptoms of depression that last a very long time. It differs from depression due to mild symptoms and a period of time of occurrence.
Treatment of depression
There may be a full or complete treatment of depression, according to the particular case. However, there are a number of methods of treatment
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is one of the main methods of treatment for major depressive disorder. Treatment methods are most important to the object is cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychology. Cognitive behavioral therapy is also used for the treatment of dysthymia, which happens to be an effective method.
The treatment response in major depressive disorder is higher in the elderly. For patients younger than 18 years, therapy should be essential for the drug.
For dysthymia, the most effective approach is to combine cognitive-behavioral therapy with drugs such as antidepressants.
Drugs

The primary treatment of the severe cases of Clinical Depression or the Major Depressive Disorder in order to alleviate its symptoms is antidepressants. However, mild cases may see little or no improvement.

In case of Dysthymia or Neurotic Depression, the first line of treatment is administering SSRI or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. Not only these drugs have a better response rate but have less severe and reversible side effects as compared to tricyclic antidepressants or monoamine oxidase inhibitors.

Electroconvulsive Therapy

In the cases of severe Major Depressive Disorder, Electroconvulsive Therapy may be used which involves the stimulation of the brain through an electric pulse. The procedure is carried out while the patient is under the influence of general anesthesia in order to cause a seizure. This treatment method is prescribed when the patient does not show encouraging response to all other milder forms of treatment. Side effects of the treatment include short term or long term memory loss, headache and disorientation. The treatment is particularly recommended for patients with the symptoms of psychosis.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

This process involves the stimulation of nerve cells in the skull through electrical pulse. The electric pulse is meant to stimulate the particular nerves that are associated with the mood of a persons. The process can be useful n preventing depression significantly.

Light Therapy

Some people with the cases of seasonal depression, usually occurring in winters, may respond positively to light therapy.

While Depression is a troubling condition, it can effectively be managed. Make sure you consult your physician or psychiatrist if you feel that the symptoms of depression are persisting for a long time.